Focused and Fearless: A Meditator's Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm, and Clarity by Shaila Catherine

Product Description

Jhana is a powerful meditative technique that opens the way to unfettered joy, radiant calm, and abiding happiness. Focused and Fearless presents this ancient meditative tradition as interpreted through the practice of a contemporary American teacher, and as such, it represents a landmark shift in Theravadan Buddhism by bringing jhana into the reach of busy practitioners. The book speaks to both non-meditators and meditators from any tradition, helping those who simply want to understand how to attain extraordinary states with ease while offering a creative, contemporary slant on this ancient path of happiness and wisdom. An engaging mix of contemporary examples, practical exercises, and how-to instructions that anyone can try, Focused and Fearless is an accessible, friendly, and wise guide that is ideal for both novices and the more seasoned practitioner who wishes to explore advanced meditative states.

Shaila Catherine studied with Buddhadasa among others

สัพเพ สัตตา สุขีตา โหนตุ

the mountain may be heavy in and of itself, but if you're not trying to carry it it's not heavy to you- Ajaan Suwat

You can listen to some of her talks on her site: http://www.imsb.org/index.phpWhat I've listened to seems quite good. We've been using a study guide she put together for the MN in a local discussion group.

Yeah great book. Great exercises. Seems to make jhana possible for any of us.

The heart of the path is SO simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are. That is all I do in my own practice. Do not try to become anything. Do not make yourself into anything. Do not be a meditator. Do not become enlightened. When you sit, let it be. When you walk, let it be. Grasp at nothing. Resist nothing. Of course, there are dozens of meditation techniques to develop samadhi and many kinds of vipassana. But it all comes back to this - just let it all be. Step over here where it is cool, out of the battle. - Ajahn Chah

Thanks for the recommendation! I'm finishing up Ajahn Brahm's book, Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond and I'm curious if you have read that as well and would be willing to compare the two. (Time is precious, as we all know, and I'm already two books behind! )

Regards: AdvaitaJ

The birds have vanished down the sky. Now the last cloud drains away.We sit together, the mountain and me, until only the mountain remains. Li Bai

so ive read most of it, and i would recomend it for someone looking for a practical easy to understand meditation manual, there are sutta refferences and little practice hints. i would compaire it to ajahn brahm's book.

สัพเพ สัตตา สุขีตา โหนตุ

the mountain may be heavy in and of itself, but if you're not trying to carry it it's not heavy to you- Ajaan Suwat

jcsuperstar wrote:so ive read most of it, and i would recomend it for someone looking for a practical easy to understand meditation manual, there are sutta refferences and little practice hints. i would compaire it to ajahn brahm's book.

JC,

Thanks for following up! If I may, was there much information in this book that was not present in Ajahn Brahm's? Time is too short for reruns!

Thanks again!

AdvaitaJ

The birds have vanished down the sky. Now the last cloud drains away.We sit together, the mountain and me, until only the mountain remains. Li Bai

AdvaitaJ wrote:Thanks for following up! If I may, was there much information in this book that was not present in Ajahn Brahm's?

I think you already got the book, but I'll make some brief comments anyway...

Though I don't use either Ajahn Brahm's or Shaila's approach as my primary practise, I've found both of these books really useful. The advantage of Shaila's is that it has more of a balanced survey of approaches and explanations, and perspectives on insight-oriented vs. concentration-oriented practise. Whereas Ajahn Brahm's is very much focussed on his particular approach and point of view.

I'm going to pull up this old thread instead of using my other one since there's already a discussion on it. Having read both Ajahn Brahm's book and (recently) Catherine Shaila's...I have a couple of thoughts.

Ajahn Brahm's teaching is very traditional and close to the methods mention in the sutta. Catherine Shaila's, on the other hand, is more "modernized" and apparently easier to understand/relate to. I like the way Catherine Shaila dedicates each jhana level to strengthening insight meditation. There is a more balanced approach to the uses of jhana. Ajahn Brahm sticks strictly to pure samathat until a certain proficiency is attained before using jhana as a tool to springboard into vipassana. Both methods work fine, depending on your temperament.

However, I do feel that Catherine Shaila has somehow "over simplified"/misclassified jhana levels and I have some concerns over how close it is to the Buddha's teaching of jhana. For instance, Catherine Shaila mentions in her book (for one of the exercises) that practitioners should attempt going from access concentration direct to first jhana, access concentration direct to second jhana, access concentration direct to third jhana, access concentration direct to fourth jhana. This does not fall in line with the Buddha's teaching that jhana has to be "moved up" chronologically.

I'm no expert on this, but Shaila's approach seems to be based on Pa Auk Sayadaw's approach and the Visuddhimagga. I.e. a more "commentarial" approach, not necessarily "untraditional". I believe that the Visuddhimagga does talk about skipping through the Jhanas in different orders.

It is interesting that Ajahn Brahm talks about following the Suttas closely, but his descriptions of the Jhanas are very "deep", more like in the Visuddhimagga than in the Suttas.

mikenz66 wrote:It is interesting that Ajahn Brahm talks about following the Suttas closely, but his descriptions of the Jhanas are very "deep", more like in the Visuddhimagga than in the Suttas.

Yes, that is sort of funny. His jhanas seem pretty much exactly like those of the visuddhimagga, or at least what I know of them (haven't read the entirety of that text). Complete sensory detachment, dramatic visual nimittas and the like. My thoughts are that since he is a monk and an enthusiastic meditator, he is capable of those very deep jhanas, however, that doesn't mean that those jhanas are the only acceptable ones.

Shaila's jhanas seem rather similar to those of the suttas as I understand them, or at least, she gives a more general description. And there is certainly more than one way into jhana, so, a more general guide to developing the jhana factors and not necessarily focused on a single method might be a more practical approach to attempting to expose as many people as possible to the jhanas, which struck me as what Shaila has done in her book.

And additionally, Shaila's jhana method seems to allow the possibility of using the state to gain insight, where Brahm's requires leaving the state and using the resulting clarity-of-mind after the fact for working on insight. Though those are probably both viable options, the former one strikes me as being closer to the method described in the suttas.

Both methods are probably "traditional" enough in their own right, depending on from what perspective you're judging them, so the individual is free to decide which agrees with them more.

Last edited by Kenshou on Fri Feb 05, 2010 7:13 am, edited 1 time in total.

I have to admit that I have not read the description of jhanas in the Visuddhimagga. My bad. I will make it a point to go read up on that now. And on the Pa Auk method too.

Shaila's jhanas feel more conducive to developing insights, and it would be, what I suppose we call, Vipassana Jhana?

And additionally, Shaila's jhana method seems to allow the possibility of using the state to gain insight, where Brahm's requires leaving the state and using the resulting clarity-of-mind after the fact for working on insight. Though those are probably both viable options, the former one strikes me as being closer the method described in the suttas.

I agree with you here that Shaila's doing a good job balancing jhana and insight. A.Brahm's method stems from the traditional forest kammathana style of jhana meditation. Most would find it easier to use Shaila's methods as she is a layperson like us, hence her experiences are what we would find easier to relate to.

I believe the term vipassana jhana refers to stages in the development of insight, and aren't really related to the 4 jhanas of samatha meditation. But the two methods don't have to be separate. Jhana can be used a practical state from which to develop knowledge (à la the suttas), or insight can be practiced purely (the contemporary vipassana movement), or jhana can be practiced purely to great depths (Brahm, Visuddhimagga). It's good to have options.

salmon wrote: A.Brahm's method stems from the traditional forest kammathana style of jhana meditation. Most would find it easier to use Shaila's methods as she is a layperson like us, hence her experiences are what we would find easier to relate to.

Ajahn Brahm's approach is also much more "absorption oriented" than what many of the other western students of Ajahn Chah teach (e.g. Ajahn's Tiradhamma, Munindo, Sumedho).

salmon wrote: A.Brahm's method stems from the traditional forest kammathana style of jhana meditation. Most would find it easier to use Shaila's methods as she is a layperson like us, hence her experiences are what we would find easier to relate to.

Ajahn Brahm's approach is also much more "absorption oriented" than what many of the other western students of Ajahn Chah teach (e.g. Ajahn's Tiradhamma, Munindo, Sumedho).

I think he was probably referring to the forest lineage as a whole, not just Ajahn Chahs disciples in the West. In Thailand it's pretty much assumed to be part of the practice.

"Right effort is effort with wisdom. Because where there is wisdom, there is interest. The desire to know something is wisdom at work. Being mindful is not difficult. But it’s difficult to be continuously aware. For that you need right effort. But it does not require a great deal of energy. It’s relaxed perseverance in reminding yourself to be aware. When you are aware, wisdom unfolds naturally, and there is still more interest." - Sayadaw U Tejaniya